A prominent Guelph lawyer is accused of sexually harassing members of his staff, as well as financial misconduct. David Starr faces a discipline hearing from the Law Society Tribunal.
A spokesperson for Starr declined to comment on the matter.
None of the allegations have been tested or evidence presented to the professional tribunal. There is no evidence that Starr is facing any criminal charges.
Many of the tribunal allegations against Starr stem from his involvement with one particular client, identified in the hearing notice as EF.
Starr is alleged to have knowingly assisted EF in “dishonesty, fraud, crime, or illegal conduct” on several occasions between 2017 and 2021. Alternatively, he ought to have known, the tribunal alleges.
They include:
- Providing EF with a $25,000 trust cheque in support of their mortgage application when EF only had $6,500 in trust, and having “misapplied $18,500 of client trust funds” to EF in support of that mortgage application
- Concealing and converting $57,500 in cash from EF through his personal and trust accounts
- Using his trust account for purposes not related to the provision of legal services in the amount of $15,000 and disbursing those funds back to EF
- Suggesting a scheme to “clean” EF’s money by pretending to employ her in order to conceal the source of her anticipated receipt of $106,000
- Receiving an aggregate amount of $42,500 from EF in relation to one client matter.
Starr is also accused of professional misconduct for “a series of incidents involving verbal and physical conduct of a sexual nature that amounted to sexual harassment” of two staff members between 2005 and 2021.
At this time, no tribunal hearing dates have been set.
Under the Law Society Act, potential penalties available for consideration by the tribunal range between a reprimand and revocation of an individual’s licence to practice law.